Last



Dec. 31, 1940. A J- w` LEFAVOUR 2,226,775

LAST

I Filed May 3, 1959 2 sheets-sheet 1 @a M Z@ Dec. 31, 1940. J. w. LEFAvoUR LAST 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 3, 1939 Patented Dec. 3l, 1940 LAST John W. Lefavour, Beverly, Mass., assigner to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Borough Sey of Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jer- Application May 3, 1939, Serial No. 271,559

5 Claims.

This invention relates to lasts and is illustrated herein as embodied in a last by the use of which the delasting of a shoe thereon is facilitated.

The removal of a shoe from a last requires 5 considerable skill and strength on the part of the operator. This is true even in connection with lasts the fore and heel parts of which are relatively movable into a foreshortened relation so as to relieve some of the pressure between the shoe and the last (for example, a hinged last) because at the beginning of the relative movement between the last parts, when the dilculty of moving the shoe with respect to the last is the greatest, the foreshortening effect is slight.

This difliculty is aggravated by the fact that the shoe usually affords a poor grip for the operator and is susceptible to damage by abrasion and by straining of the upper or the stitching in it.

In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved last having embodied therein, provision for facilitating the separation of the heel part of the shoe from the last by substantially reducing both the amount '530 engage the inside of the heel part of a shoe on the last and to press the shoe off the heel part of the last as the fore and heel parts of the last are moved relatively to each other into their foreshortened relation. Thus, with the heel part 35 of the last supported by the usual fixed jack pin the heel part of the shoe is removed from the last while in its normal relation to the forepart by a pressure exerted from within the shoe in response to the foreshortening movement of the 40 forepart thereby largely obviating the practice of pressing on the outside of the shoe upper to remove it from the last and the objections attending this practice.

The above-*mentioned means 4.5 member which, in accordance with a feature of the invention, is arranged to extend into the heel part, preferably ush with its bottom surface, to a point adjacent to the rear end thereof so that the pressing action of the member will 50 not `only be directed against the shoe bottom near the locality where the greatest resistance to the slipping of the shoe on the last is encountered, but also will begin simultaneously with the relative i'oreshortening movement of the last parts.

comprises a l companying drawings and will be pointed out in the appended claims. 5 I

In the drawings,`

Fig, 1 ls a plan view of a last embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 isa sectional side elevation of the last, its fore and heel parts being in their normal l0 assembled relation, and Y Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional side `elevations of the last illustrating successive stages in the removal of a shoe from the last, the fore and heel parts of the last being in their foreshortened 15 relation` 'I'he illustrated last comprises a forepart ID and a heel part I2 arranged to swing on each other between their normal assembled relationl as indicated in Fig. 2 and their foreshortened 20 relation as indicated in Fig. 3 on a common form of knuckle joint I4. The fore and heel parts are held together by bonding means comprising links I6 pivoted on a pin I 8 mounted in the forepart,

a link 20 pivoted on a pin 22 mounted in the L25 heel part and a stud 24 which pivotally connects the links I6 and 20. j

The heel part I2 is provided with a recess 26 extending heightwise through the bottom ofthe heel part and lengthwise thereof from its forward edge rearwardly to a point adjacent to its rear end. 'Ihis recess is adapted to receive a member 28 mounted on the forepart I8 and extending rearwardly therefrom whieh, when the last parts are moved into their foreshortened relation, engages the inner surface of the bottom of the heel part of a shoe on the last and holds the heel part of the shoe in its normal relation to the forepart and hence presses the shoe 0H the heel part of the last, as shown in Fig. 3.

The member 28 is pivoted on the pin I8 and is held in its operative relation (Fig. 2) with respect to the forepart I0 by a latch 30 which is pivoted on a pin 32 carried bythe forepart and which, by means of a spring 34, is releasably held in a notch 36k in the member 28. A spring 38 mounted in a recess in the forepart 20 is arranged to urge the'member 28 toward the heel part I2 against the latch 30. As illustrated in Fig. 2, the part of the member 28 which extends into the 50 heel part I2 is normally ush with the bottom of the heel part and at its rearmost end is provided with an enlargement or pad 48 adapted to engage a substantial area of the inner surface of the shoe bottom. The pad 40 also is adapted 55 forepart I0 the member 28 is held by the latchfzi in its operative or normal relation with respect to the forepart and presses upwardly against the' inner surface of the shoe bottom thereby press-f: ing the shoe off the heelpart l2' simultaneously. with the foreshortening ofthelast;` I Toward the i end of this movement of the forepart lll, the lower end of the latch 30 is moved into engagement with the heel part I2, as indicated in Figs. 3 anda,

causing the latch to be swung away' from-the"- notch 36. The member 28, under the inuence of the spring 38, is then swung in a counterclockwise direction toward the heel part away` from the bottom of the shoe so as to avoid obstructing movement of the shoe forwardly o f the last off the forepart. o' l It will nowbe understood that when the forepart I0 is again swung upwardly 'so as .tobring the last parts into their normalassembled'relation the latch 30 will become reengaged with the notch 36, the last parts then having therelation in which they are illustratedin Fig. 2.

Having thus described my invention, what" I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A last comprising foreand heel parts Amounted on each other for relative movement` between `an assembled anda yforeshortened relation,- the an assembled and a foreshortened relation, ,and

(last.

means for pressing the heel part of a shoe on said last on the heel part thereof as the last parts are moved out of their assembled relation, said means comprising a member mounted on the forepart and arranged normally to extend substantially ush with "the bottom of the heel part to a point adjacent to the heel end of the last.

325A .last comprising fore and heel parts mountedfon each other for relative movement between an assembled and a foreshortened relation, the

heel part having a recess formed therein and a member disposed in said recess and carried by the forepart, said 'member having a surface substantially flush with that of the bottom of the :heel 'part,\and means for releasably holding said member in the same relation with respect to the forepart as the last parts are moved into their foreshortenedrelation whereby a shoe on said last is pressed off the heel part thereof.

4;- vA'las't comprising fo-re and heel parts mountledoneach other forl relative movement between an4 assembled and -`a,,foreshortened relation, a member 4mounted on the Aforepart l in juxtaposition to the inner surface of the bottom of the heel l'part of a shoe on the last `when the parts thereof ment with the heelpart to release said member `thereby permitting it to be moved away from the shoe,\ p f 5. A last comprisingufore and heel parts mounted on each other for relative movement between an assembled anda fioreshortened relation, the

heel part havinga-recess formed therein, a'member/pivotally monntedonsaid forepart and normally disposed in saidrecess, a surface of said Amember normally being substantially flush with the bottomlsurface o'f the heel part, means tending normally to urge said member away from its said normal position toward said heel part, and a latch carried by the forepart .for releasably holding said member in the same relation with respect to the forepart as the last parts are moved into their foreshortened'relation, said latch being operable to permitsaid member to be swung by said yielding meansltoward the heel part of the JOHN W. LEFAVOUR. 

